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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Staggering Collapse of Living Standards in the US

Released in March, before the passage of the Obama administration’s health care legislation, a survey entitled “Health Care Reform—Can’t Live With It, or Without It” indicates that 92 percent of Americans give the national economy a negative rating. No fewer than 70 percent of the respondents report having suffered job-related and financial problems in the past year, an increase from 59 percent the year before. Fifty-four percent report someone in their home has been without a job and looking for work in the past year, up from 39 percent in 2009.

The poll saw an aggravation of conditions in every area of economic life studied the year before. Increasing numbers of people are reporting difficulty receiving or affording medical care (26 percent) or paying their rent or mortgage payments (24 percent). More Americans faced problems with collections and credit agencies (21 percent), or had mortgages, loans or credit card applications denied (19 percent).

As could be expected, the poorest Americans are suffering the most. Some 44 percent of those making $30,000 per year or less report difficulty obtaining medical care, compared to 11 percent of those making $75,000 per year or more. A similar gap can be found in the category of rents and mortgages, with 37 percent of those making $30,000 or less reporting difficulty making rent or mortgage payments, compared to 11 percent of those making $75,000 or more. However, the percentage of those facing difficulties paying rent has increased dramatically for both groups since 2009.More Here..

30 comments:

About 2 years ago I got a new neighbor. A bar maid trailor trash looking southern woman of about 45 driving a beautiful red corvette and her live in psociopath personality Anger-disorder construction worker Yankee boyfriend.

About 2 months ago they had to sell the Corvette , said 'the maintenance cost was too high'. Methinks bullshit, they needed the cash.

The boyfriend never leaves the house, his truck be parked out front like a castle sentinel in the mid ages.

If I had $30,00 per year I would be in 7th heaven. I get $727,00 per month on S. S. and now they want to cut that? Of course, I only paid into it for 40 years and of course Clinton robbed S. S. to put into the general fund to balance the budget. No one has balanced mine.

9:59 Your $2200 in 15 years--good luck with that. You probably have to work until age 72 to get it. If you want it earlier, you'll pay a penalty and maybe get $1600 instead--and then they'll take out a few hundred for Medicare and drugs. So you'll be living on just enough to pay for a trailer in tornado alley.

It is too late for the Americans, they are toast. They exported all their high value, high paying manufacturing jobs. Look in the American stores - every label reads "Made In China". Americans have glued their mouths directly to the rectum of the Communist Chinese and their slave labor factories. All they can do now is consume the crap wait for more. What a shame so many good men threw away their lives in Vietnam and Korea thinking they were "keeping out the commies". And now even more are dying for another lie: "American Freedom". Just try opening your own private banking business, or even handing out literature on a public sidewalk and see how much "freedom" you have. Americans do not have the common sense to inquire about exactly what their "elected" representatives discuss and agree to in those Bilderburg meetings every year. Americans will receive no health care, no pensions, no retirement payments, no savings, no security, no privacy, no justice, no freedoms - nothing, because after having given away all their great gifts, resources, skills and the sacrifices of their honorable dead on foreign battlefields, they DESERVE NOTHING. NOTHING. The faster Americans hurry up and die, the sooner the Mexicans can re-colonize North America to labor for their European masters.

12:14 My Stag Arms rifle is 100% made in the USA. The scope is made in China and that's only because no American company made one similar. I had to buy a scope riser so I bought one made in Texas. The scope mount was made in Tennessee. It cost $180.00 bucks and it may not seen worth it, except to know it was made by an American, in America.

Freedom Arms is in Montana and they make high quality revolvers.

Diamond Gusset Jeans are made in the USA. One pair of high quality jeans are less than 50 bucks, (more like 40 bucks)that's the same retail price as Made in Mexico, Levi jeans. I'm happy to pay a bit more, knowing I'm keeping an American worker employed, and I don't mean white American worker, I don't care what color they are as long as they live in and love this country.

If you put forth some effort, you will find almost everything you are looking for, Made in the USA.

I have a 16 Channel sound mixer, made in San Diego, California by Carvin. I have their optical compressor and a studio mic, (think podcasting) all Carvin, all made in the USA and priced just right.

On another note, my standard of living is dropping all the time. I have not had a job for 2 years. I have been diagnosed with an enlarged aorta and I need a surgery to fix it. With no job and no money and no insurance, I can not get the surgery without paying for it and that's not gonna happen any time soon. Someday that aorta will burst and I'll be dead as dead can be about 13 seconds later. I am in otherwise perfect health and that sucks.

This so familiar, I used to work in the local textile mills, Dupont, throught the 60's and 70's, everywhere and I mean everywhere, made in America lables were on all cartons and bags that left the plant headed to the customer. When I first went to work in the late 60's, there were 3700 employees at the plant, today, there are 234 employees. The plant then was a showcase, clean, well maintained, the employees made a decent living and was proud to have their job, now, the plant looks like something from the slums of India, (yes, I worked there, several miles up the road from Bophol. We saw it coming as early as the he mid 80', where many of the management puppets, started all this BS about a "level playing field", we may have to take it to singapore, damn it to hell, we all were duped into believing this crap.

Yes, I aman angry American, I am angry for what these politicians have done to our wonderful country. I am angry that we cannot do a single thing to stop it. As far as I am concerned, if Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Washington were here today, they would be calling for their heads. These people have committed the ultimate act of treason. The swore on the Bible, an oath to defend, protect and to uphold the constitution of America, so help them God.

"THEY CAME FIRST for the American Textile worker and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a textile worker.

THEN THEY CAME for the American factory worker,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a factory worker.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for meand by that time no one was left to speak up."

I really do think we as Americans deserve some of this blowback...We ignore shit we do elsewhere...We squandered, got too materialistic and just plain stupid.

I hate what will happen to the good people but come on people we all know that the only way people learn is with some real sacrifice and pain as a teacher.

No more single mom on welfare with 3-4 kids from 2-3 dads...No more illegal aliens who never work but ask for benefits...No more heavy smokers and drinkers and super obese people crying about lung diseases, diabetes and cyrosis of the liver when they KNEW what they were doing but too stupid to stop.

So here we are now...Living in some weird Matrix world where there's economic recovery but no jobs...Great opportunity as DOW goes up but the companies are laying people off...Where the government is kicking ass but it's all based on borrowed money etc etc.

I'm a Catholic Boy and I think this is part of our penitentiary...To think about how we got here and to change our ways...As always it won't happen till really bad horrible things happen for people to change their ways...Alas.

Whenver I go into stores now during the day or night, weekday or weekend all I see people coming out with is alchohol. Kill the pain... if not that then they just sit on the internet clicking through random sites for hours and hours zapping their brains out.

I also never see people buying minor things now like candy bars or slushees... those things are luxeries now. Are you kidding? No one can spare a dollar on that shit, that's expensive.

None the less I suppose we will be in a worse situation as we approach national poverty because of the amount of material possessions we have that other impovershed countries don't. This means as we become more desparate and empty then it will only cause us to further lose it since our entire principles are based on People Magazine or Rock of Love. No disrepect to Brett, I feel sad as to his current condition and hope he recovers, but you get my drift.

Things are really bad now and will only get worse. I want to believe we still have a chance, no matter how slim, to reverse this course.

I have for the past 20 years, firmly believed my vote means nothing. Voting machines are rigged and elections are decided before the voting begins. Having said that, I have registered to vote Independent and I have written my reps more in the last few months than I ever have before.

I am well aware of off shore manufacturing. I personally knew a woman that worked in a factory in Central America, making Osh Kosh jeans for kids. The material cost, labor cost and importation cost per unit could not have exceeded $5.00, yet these jeans were in retail stores for $35.00 - $40.00 each. It was all about huge profits, while the seamstresses were earning the equivalent of 24 cents an hour.

I have made draw string pants from bamboo fabric. Soft as silk and strong as cotton. The material cost (this fabric is expensive) before labor is about $35.00 so the question is, would you be willing to pay say $60.00 for a pair of Made in USA, bamboo fabric, draw string pants? The extra $25.00 has to pay for labor and overhead and that's not much to work with.

Sure it's about profit, and it's about the ability to compete and not go bankrupt. The unions and the government drove manufacturing overseas. The companies had no other choice. If you truely believe that Osh Kosh is making $35 profit on every pair of kids jeans you are seriously uninformed. Every publicly held company must report their profits and expenses. It's all in the public record, if Osh Kosh made the kind of profit you claim it would be there for all to see. But in fact like all clothing manufacturers they are doing OK but not great. You are barking up the wrong tree to blame business or desire for obscene profits. For most companies it is a matter of survival. What we need to do is make this country more appealing to corporations not grind them into the ground. Lower corporate taxes, repeal onerous legislation, level the playing field between the unions and companies.

Next crash is coming very soon around middle of 2012. When oil hits over $100 a barrel this fall 4th quarter 2010 it will start to begin. Rising gas pump prices will cause Real Estate to be an early victim and on two fronts: by making New Housing out in the suburbs less attractive & via an obvious shrinking of the commuter zone. Another event occurs as oil passes thru the $106/barrel threshold. This marks the ratio where the falling Dollar and resultant rising import prices means falling Demand for North American trading partners once again. This affects us north of the 49th 'cuz the Canadian & Australian currencies are unfortunately still considered to be commodity sensitive. A rising Loonie hurts exports and thus the manufacturing sector. Despite these low rates, Canada's superb macro economic fundamentals have encouraged foreign investment. This has been one of three factors causing a rise of our currency. The others are rising crude oil prices and related high speculation activity as reflected by record long futures volume (120,000 long non-commercial contracts) at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange last week. Based on current commodity prices and other macro-economic fundamentals, the Canadian Dollar has a value of $0.84 today. Our projected downturn in part reflects export challenges in a protracted par-valued Dollar environment.

Should oil rise to $140/barrel in 2011Q3 as our Barrel Meter projects, the Canadian Dollar may revisit the $1.02 area. That the Canadian Dollar is already at par, the current bump appears to be built upon far too much anticipation. A substantial rise in oil could put us in uncharted territory. Aside from this, there are even more storm clouds ahead...

321are you kidding me for the last 20 years they have been closeing plants to compete with 20 cents a dayhell ge ddnt even pay taxes on 12 billionyour an idiot and a traitor to americaas god is my witness in 6 months i could turn america aroundfair trade not free tradeno illegals hell france and canada you cant even work there for a year after migrateingwe have become the worlds whoreand when the riots start its going to make the 1960s look like a cake walkno i cant compete with 20 cents a day while my taxes are 12 grand a yearwe are fukd this is not funnyit didnt work in the 1930s free trade and it wont work knowour goverment officals are guity of sedition20 years ago i said well maaybe one day after the cold war theyll bring the unions backno not goverment unionsthe working unions after regan passed the right to work actwe are so screwed i beleive what gerald celente says becuase hes rightand i aint gloom and doom i deal and live with realityand this wont end with koombiyawar and collapse god dam cheap labour sell out commies in govermentcrimminals

“Sure it's about profit, and it's about the ability to compete and not go bankrupt. The unions and the government drove manufacturing overseas. The companies had no other choice. If you truely believe that Osh Kosh is making $35 profit on every pair of kids jeans you are seriously uninformed.”Yes,Just so , the poor capitalists!This is basically true "no other Choice" there is little or no profit to be got in U.S. manufacturing with overpaid and subsidised workers . (But , can you see all the huge strikes going on in recent years as the commies and liberals plot to bring down Amerikan business by raising wages ?) In the Mexican production process The raw material costs and near slave labor costs are low and the jeans are delivered to Wall mart at a cheap competitive price otherwise they would buy Chinese . The poor capitalists!Something must be happening in distribution ?Yet , Even retailers operating on small margins and high turnover too may only get a small share of the profit on the jeans in the competition as company profits on their invested capital averaged out.The Wall marts of the world can only afford to pay low or minimum wages to their americanworkers .Otherwise bankruptcy The poor capitalists are squeezed between between market price an the unreasonable demands of the mostly unorganised workers in their union So if things sell on average at their value in the competition and Osh kosh and Wall mart With their miserable mark-ups didn’t get the thirty five dollars who did? The poor individual capitalists clearly did not get it?Just have a look at their individual books and those of the bankster finance sector too .The poor capitalists! .And the mysteriously disappearing $35?

When I read articles and see some blatant lie/mis information etc. I automatically assume the whole friggin' thing is bullshit.

So it is with the comments from 1:11

I have been in the shooting arena all my life & this guy wants us to believe he bought a Chinese scope because a comprable one was not available in the USA ?

Oh buddy ! Give me a break man ! I live 15 minutes from the birthplace of John Unertl and once again we have AMERICAN technology that started it all ! This guy forgot more about fucking optics than those slant eyed littlerice suckers will ever know.

Try Leupold

Try Redfield

Try Bushnell

All superior; all made right here & all students of John Unertl.

Don't shovel that Chinese bullshit to me pal - those little fuckers couldn't lite a fart without a good ole made in the USA Zippo Lighter( Bradford Pennsylvania )

“This guy forgot more about fucking optics than those slant eyed littlerice suckers will ever know.”

If I hold up a Zippo lighter as a flash will you take a picture with your Box brownie . That has real top american optics.

Not that foreign German developed lenses stuff ,or a foreign polaroid invented system or any of that slant eyed digital shit made in asia today.

Dumbo Americans . Even with all their American made sights on their guns couldn’t even work out what to do with the transistor after the accidentally invented it they were so american clever they did not know what to do with it.

Only stupid copying slant eyed Asians could do that and develop modern electronics .

They may have paid for the patent but its still stolen american know how you know!

P.S.Oh buddy ! Give me a break man ! I live 15 minutes from the birthplace of John Unertl and once again we have AMERICAN technology that started it all !American chauvenism at its finest .Pal.Galileo was using telescopes to look at the moon before america even existed as a nation and then later used copied German rocketry to get to the moon.

I would say that might be a pretty fair possible map above of one future division of America .After all Americans have pawned their country for credit public and private.As The White settler Horde economy implodes ,from lack of profitable plunder its relict population loses its drive and reason for unity. Ripe for the looting that is presently occurring .A pretty normal thing in history when a Mongolian type horde Empire collapses as it runs out of plunder . It then suddenly collapses quickly from a superpower straddling the world into a screaming disorganised heap .After credit supply and tribute from other nations to the military backed Dollar Hegemony Empire and counterfeiting money to prop the economy and the finance khans up runs its course . I expect it will soon breaks up into its parts and disorder . The supporters of the old empire have lost personal drive ,90% of americans have no faith in their government and it has no leadership ,the benificieries of empire have forgotten how to do productive work and exported their industry anyway.The 2 or 3% far sighted too ,aware of the coming collapse from theeffects of the ongoing looting ,have no faith in nation building or government .But they too offer no leadership, only advise on saving gold or silver for individual salvation of their own skin as misers and king drones of value exchange in a future dead economy where they believe gold will be king.The White Settler Horde economy ,America has no drive ,leadership , or future except for the rich Khans now plundering the country. Some work might be found for cartographers drawing up maps of the new America.

I take comfort knowing me and my fellow Nomads will be the ones standing in the gap between the indulgent boomers and our children's generation- the Hero. Born between 61-81, the Nomad discription seems to fit: "Nomads suffer a lifetime of criticism. During their youth their elders berate them as stupid, lazy and morally bankrupt. In midlife they are blamed for the decadence of the unraveling period. In old age they are seen as too cautious, old-fashioned and pessimistic. This lifetime of criticism makes Nomads tough as nails. They don’t care what people think about them. They are secure in their own judgment and don’t blink in the face of adversity. Their entire lives consist of hardship, danger, and harsh choices."

So here we are. Harsh choices and hardship after the politics of fairness & inclusion FAIL. My kids will survive this, they won't be helpless if I can help it. If you're a Nomad, stand in the gap, that's our generations role.

A bone crushing depression is our only hope. People will finally realize wealth does not come from the gvt. ALL this political correct crap won't mean a thing when people are hungry and cold. Then maybe we can start over and fix this country...